Coleman Young, 1918-1997

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Coleman Young was born May 24, 1918, in Tuscaloosa, Ala., to Coleman Young, a dry cleaner, and Ida Reese Jones.

He moved with his family to Detroit in 1923. At Ford Motor Co. he became involved in union activities and civil rights activism.

In World War II, he served with the Tuskegee Airmen. He later cofounded the National Negro Labor Council, which he disbanded in the 1950s to avoid turning over its membership list during an investigation by the House Un-American Activities Committee.

He was elected to the Michigan senate in 1964, and in 1968 he became the Democratic National Committee's first African American member. As the first black mayor of Detroit, he focused on revitalizing the crime-ridden city by attracting new businesses and reinforcing the police department. He retired after an unprecedented five terms.